1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a module for stacking thin panels and a method of stacking thin panels. The present invention particularly relates to a module for stacking a plurality of thin panels and to a method of stacking thin panels using such modules, the module allowing an adequate area for load transfer of the thin panels (load transfer area) to be secured when the plural thin panels are vertically stacked in a state of being supported by the modules. Alternatively, the present invention relates to a module for stacking a plurality of thin panels and a method of stacking thin panels using such modules, the modules allowing the plural thin panels to be efficiently and stably stacked in a vertical direction.
2. Background Art
Dedicated modules have been used heretofore to store or transport heavy fragile thin panels (e.g., solar panels) in a state of being vertically stacked without being in contact with one another.
Examples of such modules are disclosed in JP-A-2006-032978 (Patent Document 1) and JP-UM-A-55-007790 (Patent Document 2).
Such modules include a support surface for supporting a thin panel from below and a molded member. This molded member is disposed on an outer side of the support surface and extends in a vertical direction. The molded member has an upper portion and a lower portion that are provided with a recessed portion or a raised portion capable of being engaged with one another. The molded member transfers the weight of the thin panels downward by engagement with other molded members placed thereabove and therebelow.
Such modules are provided at four corners of the thin panel. The support surfaces of these four modules support the four corners of the thin panel. The four modules have the molded members that have raised portions provided in upper portions thereof, and these raised portions are engaged with the respective recessed portions provided in lower portions of the other four modules to be arranged thereon. Similarly, the other such arranged four modules have support surfaces for supporting another thin panel. Accordingly, the related art modules support the four corners of the thin panel with the support surfaces thereof. When the modules are vertically stacked with the molded members, a pillar body is formed. Therefore, the thin panels can be vertically stacked without being in contact with one another.
Such a module, however, has the following technical problems.
Firstly; the recessed portion or the raised portion having a positioning function is provided in upper and lower portions of the molded member having a load transfer function that transfers the weight of the thin panels downward, causing difficulty in securing adequate load transfer areas in the upper and lower portions of the molded member. Consequently, the load is not adequately transferred between the modules adjacent to each other in a vertical direction. Accordingly, the pillar body formed by combining the modules in a vertical direction is unstable, although the four modules can support one thin panel. Therefore, the pillar body has the possibility to crumble due to vibration particularly during transportation, causing the possibility of damaging the stacked thin panels.
Secondly, the related art modules have difficulty in stacking a plurality of thin panels efficiently and stably in a vertical direction.
For example, when the thin panels stacked using the modules are transported by a forklift, the thin panels are stacked on an upper surface of a palette by using modules. In this case, the modules need to be arranged beforehand on the upper surface of the palette in positions corresponding to four corners of the thin panel. Specifically, the related art modules support the four corners of the thin panel merely from only below with the support surfaces thereof. Thus, the modules are not fixed to the corners of the thin panel. Consequently, the support surfaces of the modules need to be arranged beforehand so as to correspond to the corners of the thin panel to support the thin panel by the modules. Therefore, the thin panels each having the four modules attached beforehand have difficulty in being stacked one after another on the upper surface of the palette. If thin panels are to be stacked in such a fashion, modules already stacked in a pillar shape on a palette lose stability or have the possibility to collapse.